Smart gels, as cutting-edge devices in flexible sensors, are applied in the fields of e-skin, health monitoring, etc. However, the debugging of their intelligent responsiveness and mechanical properties remains a challenge. In this study, a type of intelligent ionogel sensor (ChCl–Gly–LS–IL) was synthesized via a green synthesis route, using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) formed by renewable resources of the ion-rich hydrogen-bonded acceptor choline chloride (ChCl) with hydrogen-bonded donors glycerol (Gly) and acrylamide (AM); sodium lignosulfonate (LS) and the ionic liquid (IL) were incorporated via multi-cross-linking. The resulting ionogel demonstrates superior intelligent responsiveness and mechanical properties, outperforming the existing materials. It rapidly forms at room temperature in 80 s and exhibits a high mechanical strength (400% elongation, 16 kPa tensile strength), strong adhesion, stability, and excellent electrical sensing capabilities. Molecular modeling and simulations further reveal its three-dimensional structure and gelling mechanism, which aligns well with experimental findings. This work provides valuable insights into ionogel multicross-linking synthesis and expands the potential of smart gels in wearable electronics and wireless sensing.
Shen et al. (2026) studied this question.